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Giddy Up: My Adventures In The Wild Wild West

Destination: Utah 

COVID has thrown a monkey wrench into everyone’s summertime plans, but with the ban in place for Americans to travel abroad, to explore our own beautiful country has never been more opportune than now for a road trip out West.




Pictured on KQ: Artesano Hat, D'ASCOLI Maidstone Dress & Sartore Light Cachemire Suede Bootie

 

Americana inspired fashion has always been a classic that never truly has gone out of style.

The cowboy boot has been a staple in my wardrobe for as long as i can remember. The Western trend with fringe, plaid, rugged denim, cow prints, and boots are a strong statement for the Fall of 2020. Rodeo vibes with Lil Nas X, Billy Ray Cyrus on repeat are what this summer of Americana is all about.

Add an element of sparkle with metallics and what’s old is new again. Models from Cindy Crawford to Gigi Hadid have graced the covers of Elle to Vogue with this iconic trend. As the summer starts to wind down and the Fall begins, add a bit of flair to your look whether with the clean lines of a classic western boot or one more flamingly flamboyant.


SARTORE: Mixed Pointed Booties

Mix prints...florals and plaids, channel your inner country girl, take the bull by the horns and have some fun embracing this timeless trend this season. Shop my edit of all things Cowgirl Chic.

If you’re planning a trip out West, here are some insider tips from my trip to Utah.

Pictured: SARTORE Parma Nero Cowboy Ankle Boots 

 

DEER VALLEY


Rob's Trail in Deer Valley
Accommodations:
-
The Chateaux at Deer Valley, a Stein Eriksen property. Lovely professional staff and well located.

Breakfast Restaurants:
-
Five5eeds is a must, open for breakfast and lunch only, owned by an Australian family.
-
Eating Establishment on Main Street is owned by Ty Burell from Modern Family and has been around for a long time, and is like a greasy spoon.

Lunch Restaurants:
Stein Eriksen is certainly a mainstay in Park City. The first Five Star hotel in Utah, and it has stayed prominent over the years. 
-
Cafe Terigo on Main Street is a favorite with a great salmon salad, sandwich options and a couple flatbreads. 

Dinner Restaurants:
- 
Shabu is a favorite of ours, located on Main Street, they are a small spot, so reservations for sure. Fun eclectic asian menu owned by two brothers. 
-
Riverhorse on Main Street is the "nice night out" spot that is a must. They have a beautiful inside space and solid menu.
-
Rime, St Regis. Take the funicular to the rooftop patio and have a casual bite with beautiful sunset views.
-
Firewood on Main, lovely atmosphere and delicious food.

Activities:
- A local hike we really enjoyed is
Rob's Trail, it is mostly shaded and very popular amongst locals. 8.5 miles, moderate hike.



- Another local favorite is "blood lake" which is located above the
Montage Deer Valley. Also a moderate hike with the bonus of seeing a Moose in the lake when we arrived.
Utah Olympic Park (where they hosted events for the 2002 winter games) has fun zip lines, inter tube slides and more. 


- If horseback riding is what you want, Deer Valley has that located right on the mountain.
-There is also mountain biking and fly fishing.

WANSHIP



Accommodations:
The Lodge at Blue Sky, True Western Luxury property


We had a lovely lunch in their farm-to-table restaurant, went clay shooting and visited the
High West Distillery

The spa was very inviting but sadly we didn’t have enough time to enjoy a treatment...next time.

SUNDANCE



We planned a day to visit Sundance Mountain Resort. It’s about a 50 minute drive from Deer Valley. 

We took the scenic route via Guardsman Pass which was breathtakingly beautiful. We stopped halfway at a local restaurant 

called Lola's Street Kitchen in the town of Midway. We enjoyed a great lunch, the mango friend chicken nugget salad was delicious. 

After lunch we drove the remaining 30 minutes to Sundance. We had the most magical day with a private tour of the 

grounds. We took the chair lift up to the top of the mountains to take in the majestic views.

 


We had drinks at the famous Owl Bar and The Tree Room  with Robert Redford’s daughter, Amy. For sure on our next trip to Utah, we will have to plan a longer stay. 

MOAB




For the last leg of our Western road trip we drove 4.5 hours to Moab. We randomly picked Green River, a very small basically run down desolate town an hour away from our final destination to find a place to grab some lunch.

We pull off on the Main Street of the deserted town and happened upon a trailer set up in the parking lot of an abandoned Shell Gas Station that said TACOS. The highlight of the drive was our chicken quesadilla, I highly recommend a pit stop at La Pasadita for a quick bite and a lime soda.

Arriving in Moab the scenery changes and the majestic natural beauty of the landscape takes our breath away. We are headed to Sorrel River Ranch, one of just 2 properties along the entire interstate 128. Apparently there will never be further zoning along this scenic byway which is about 44.56 miles long and runs parallel with the Colorado River.

The road is narrow and grips around magnificent canyons, mesas, buttes, and spikes on one side and the other the river...truly spectacular! The drive to SRR was about 17 miles in and we stopped about 3 times to take in the beauty.

We check into our river front cabin  with the most magnificent views. The porch swing was a perfect spot for us to enjoy our morning coffee and in the evening, to take in the magical sunsets with a glass of wine.



Moab offers a lot of activities from hiking, tubing, kayaking in the Colorado River to 4x4 tours through the rugged beautiful landscape of the many state parks like Arches and Canyonlands. I highly recommend the beautiful Grandstaff Trail for a hike. It’s a “moderate” hike which weaves in and out of streams, through the canyon, cottonwood and willow trees. Like all good hikes, this one has a reward at the end, the Morning Glory natural bridge which spans 243 feet and is the 6th 
longest natural rock span in the U.S. The hike is 4 miles round trip and took us about 4 hours to hike.


Accommodations:

Sorrel River Ranch (luxury price point) and Red Cliffs Lodge (moderately priced)

Food:

Desert Bistro in Moab. We had some lovely cocktails and the food was delicious.

Tip: When driving, keep in mind, especially if you’re departing out of Grand Junction Airport in Colorado, there is no place to get gas on the entire stretch of the drive...the last thing you want to do is run out of gas at the end of your road trip and miss your flight!




Happy Travels,

Karen xx


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